What John Wick 3 Reveals About His Origin

John Wick’s backstory has been delivered in piecemeal fashion over the course of the first two films. We know that he was a US Marine, that he worked for the Tarasov mob for years before retiring, that he’s widowed, and that he infamously returned to his killing ways to exact revenge for his dead puppy. But in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, we finally learn the relentless assassin’s true identity.During his quest to stay alive after being declared excommunicado by the High Table, John seeks assistance from the Russian underworld. They’re headquartered at a New York theater showing the ballet “A Tale of Two Wolves” (because wolves are canines and everything in this franchise comes back to doggos).

Inside, John sits down with Anjelica Huston’s The Director, a new character to the franchise who has known John Wick his whole life — long before he became known as John Wick.

During their exchange, it’s revealed that John Wick’s real name is Jardani Jovonovich. He was an orphan from Belarus, the last of his tribe of Ruska Roma (Russian gypsies). The Director’s people took him in and, John claims, they still owe him a tribal debt as the last of his people. Given that John worked for Russian mobster Viggo Tarasov for years and was even nicknamed after the Russian folktale of the Baba Yaga, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that he has Russian origins.

Watch The Director Say John Wick’s Real Name in This New Clip:

The Ruska Roma are Romani, an ethnic group across Europe and Russia. The arts, particularly dancing, are common professions among the Ruska Roma and in John Wick, the Director is an imposing taskmaster who schools young women as ballerinas and young men as wrestlers. (Indeed, some of the latter’s moves are ones we’ve seen John Wick use in battle.) Notably, she only ever calls John by his real name of Jardani.

The Ruska Roma are largely Orthodox Christians, and we see John come to the Director clenching his Eastern Orthodox rosary beads the entire time. In the end, John gets his “ticket” punched and the Director arranges him safe passage to Casablanca, where he will continue his journey to atone for crossing the High Table in Chapter 2.

The Director, also a servant of the High Table, pays a brutal price for even entertaining a visit from the excommunicated John Wick. The Adjudicator and her goons, led by the master assassin Zero, pay the Director a visit and stab her through her hands with a sword. At least she’s still alive, which is more than most of the characters in the film can say …

What did you think of the reveal of John Wick’s real name and origins? Let us know in the comments!

For more on John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, check out our review, these cool posters, watch a scene between Keanu Reeves and Halle Berry, read five stories of Keanu Reeves being the best person ever, and behold the glory that is dogs reacting to the John Wick 3 trailer.